“The Post Office Isn’t Broken — It’s Being Broken by Political Appointees”

A veteran waits two weeks for a VA prescription that used to arrive in three days. A family misses a court deadline on a notice they never received in time. A mail-in ballot cast on Election Day is postmarked three days later and thrown out. These are not hypotheticals. They are the direct, documented consequences of deliberate policy decisions that have quietly dismantled first-class mail delivery across the United States — and Congress must act immediately to reverse them. The Policies That Are Failing Americans Under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s “Delivering for America” plan, USPS has slashed its on-time first-class mail delivery targets from over 93% to as low as 80% — a dramatic step backward that the Postal Regulatory Commission’s own independent advisory opinion warned is “unlikely to achieve its projected cost savings” and will cause disproportionate harm in rural communities. Pilot programs of DeJoy’s Regional Transportation Optimization plan led to slower delivery — not faster — and failed to produce the promised savings. On December 24, 2025, USPS enacted a little-noticed but devastating rule change: postmarks no longer reflect the date mail is deposited. They now reflect the date mail is processed at a regional facility — which can be days later. For more than 70 years, Americans have relied on postmarks as legal proof of timely action. That protection is now gone. The Real-World Consequences COURTS AND LEGAL RIGHTS: Legal filings, court notices, and statutory deadlines depend on postmarks. Under the new rule, a document mailed on its deadline can be stamped days later and ruled untimely — through no fault of the sender. Attorneys, courts, and legal aid organizations across the country have raised formal alarms about this. VETERANS AND PATIENTS: The VA fulfills 84% of its prescriptions through the mail. Roughly 3.7 million Medicare enrollees rely on mail-order pharmacies and live in areas directly affected by USPS network consolidation. Delayed or missing medications are not an inconvenience — they are a health crisis. ELECTIONS: Mail voting accounted for approximately 30% of all ballots cast in the 2024 election. Fourteen states accept ballots postmarked by Election Day. The broken postmark rule now threatens the validity of millions of votes cast in good faith. In Utah’s June 2024 primary, hundreds of ballots received postmarks dated after the mailing deadline despite being mailed on time, nearly derailing certification. RURAL AMERICA: The Postal Regulatory Commission confirmed that the majority of U.S. ZIP codes are more than 50 miles from a regional processing hub. These communities — many of which have no alternative to USPS — face the steepest service cuts. As of early 2025, over 480 post offices have had their letter carriers relocated to centralized facilities, adding miles and days to delivery for the communities they serve. What I Am Asking You To Do 1. Hold a public hearing within 60 days on USPS service standard reductions and the December 24, 2025 postmark rule change. 2. Demand immediate suspension of the new postmark rule while Congress and the public conduct proper review of its legal and electoral consequences. 3. Introduce or co-sponsor legislation restoring on-time delivery targets to pre-2021 standards within this legislative session. 4. Direct the GAO to conduct a full investigation into whether DeJoy’s “Delivering for America” plan has delivered on any of its promised outcomes — or simply delivered slower mail at higher cost. The Postal Service is a constitutional institution. It is woven into our legal system, our healthcare, and our democracy. Its erosion harms every American — regardless of party, geography, or income. I will be following up by phone within two weeks. I am also sharing this letter with neighbors and community organizations in your district. I expect a response detailing the specific actions you intend to take.